carpenter ants

[lumberjach]

Hey I was just wondering if anyone knows how to treat a tree with an ant problem.

 

[curdy]

I posted a similar question last week. See the thread for more info. Also, I have a pro coming Thursday to take a look. I'll post the results afterwards. What kind of tree is it?

 

[12guns]

Quick fix is to through out some of those granular ant bait that you can get at the hardware store...the ants carry it back to the nest and everyone eats it and dies...the store bought stuff isn't as good as what the pro's use, but it should do the trick. also spray the trunk w/ some type of insect killer, more than likely they will stop using that tree. Hell, just cut the tree down, problem solved!

 

[begleytree]

I don't want to hijack your thread, but, question:
Do the ants actually eat the bait?
I know wasps and y jackets don't eat the food they bring to the hive, the grubs do, and in turn, secrete an ooze the adults eat. I've seen where ants bring 'food' back to the ant hill, but only use it to feed the fungus they keep growing below ground, as they only feed off it.
So, how does the poison bait stuff actually work in these instances, seeing as how the intended target doesn't eat it anyway?
-Ralph

 

[xander9727]

Why are the ants a problem. If you're afraid the ants will hurt the tree you can stop worrying. Shigo has stated that ants keep their galleys clean and only eat dead wood. If you kill the ants you may expose the tree to more nefarious pathogens.


However, Aunts in a tree can be a very serious problem.

My $.02

 

[12guns]

I don't want to hijack your thread, but, question:
Do the ants actually eat the bait?
I know wasps and y jackets don't eat the food they bring to the hive, the grubs do, and in turn, secrete an ooze the adults eat. I've seen where ants bring 'food' back to the ant hill, but only use it to feed the fungus they keep growing below ground, as they only feed off it.
So, how does the poison bait stuff actually work in these instances, seeing as how the intended target doesn't eat it anyway?
-Ralph

I used to work for a large pest control company...that's the only reason I said anything at all. Yes the ant do eat the bait...and yes they do take it back to the nest for others to eat as well. You can also get a gel that you can put in small amounts and watch the ants gather around and eat the sugary, deadly mixture.

 

[Diesel JD]

Carpenter ants are a real common wood nuisance here I would hate to climb a tree with them, but they really aren't a tenth of the problem that good old fire ants are. They don't let you ahve it with the stings and yeah they do pinch but that's about it. I doubt they hurt the trees much. I have really only seen them carve up trees that were already dead or hollowed out.

 

[Tree Machine]

I've seen where ants bring 'food' back to the ant hill, but only use it to feed the fungus they keep growing below ground, as they only feed off it.-Ralph

Fungus feeds on wood, as a general statement. Ants feed on fungus. Actually ants eat all kinds of foods, but all insects eat fungus. Since fungus is the primary decomposer of wood, where you find fungus is where you'll find ants and insects. This little system has kept us from being buried in 50 million years of logs. This is how soil is created. Cellulose being digested by fungal enzymes, softening the wood, boring insects tunnelling through soft wood, living and dining.

That's life as it's been for a hundred dozen millennia. It's nature.

 

[lumberjach]

The tree is an oak. I dont know much about shigo but I would think dead wood in the core is better than no wood. I am no expert but I have cut many o trees with ants and they were all dead or dying. Do ants excelerate this process? If the center of the tree is hollow how can the canopy recieve what it needs. Just askin. Does my customer even want to remove them? What should he do?

 

[Koa Man]

Working in a tree with lots of ants is simply miserable when they start crawling all over you. When I encounter ants, I use a spray bottle filled with Windex. Windex kills ants immediately and it doesn't stink like roach and ant spray and probably a lot less poisonous for me.

 

[treeseer]

dead wood in the core is better than no wood. I am no expert but I have cut many o trees with ants and they were all dead or dying. Do ants excelerate this process? If the center of the tree is hollow how can the canopy recieve what it needs. Just askin. Does my customer even want to remove them? What should he do?

Good questions; we're all still learning the answers.

A tree is typically not considered a hazard if it is less than 2/3 hollow. The canopy can receive water pulled up the tubes in the outer wood; the inner wood is often plugged up anyway so it's no loss to the tree if it rots.

Yes dead wood is better than no wood, but no wood is better than rotted wood because it's cleaner and drier. Carpenter ants accelerate decay by chewing into sound wood, but only a little, based on what I have seen. I like to flush out their nests with forced air and then apply a repellent.

If your client wants to kill them with conventional insecticide, fine. But if they really want to help the tree they'll look to the root system, and help it grow.

 

[Diesel JD]

Aren't the phloem and xylem and all the living processes inthe outer wood...isn't that why responsible arborists try not to use spikes on trees not to be taken down...? The core is dead anyway isn't it? like fingernails and hair?